Boy, have the last 36 hours been nuts. Just before going in to work on Monday night, I found out that I was picked by the USAFE staff to go to Istres, France, for a week in Nov to provide weather support for a space shuttle mission. Awesome, right? I was on cloud nine and trying to gauge how much French I remembered from high school.
So then I worked my mid shift, and just happened to hang around a little later in the morning to finish some online training. Around 8am, Jose gets a call from the USAFE staff that his name is on the short list for a 4-month deployment to Turkey in two weeks. Yeah, two weeks. Awful for someone with two little kids and a pregnant wife. Then two things happen almost simultaneously: Jose gets the call that he is the one going, and he discovers that his deployment cycle is listed wrong in virtual MPF. Turns out, the Turkey deployment is for the cycle that is up now... MY cycle, not his. So then everyone starts telling me that I'm the one going, while trying to figure out which deployment tracking system is right. Chaos reigned for the next several hours as this was being sorted out. Many possibilities were thrown around, but I'll skip to the final outcome, which we did not hear until after lunch... it is my deployment cycle, but the position is for a Maj and they'd take a Capt, but not a Lt. So Jose is going, and he and I are consequently switching deployment cycles.
There are so many implications of these events I could get into, but I really feel bad for Jose's family. Luckily, the weather flight is very close-knit and I am sure we will take care of them. Still, I can only imagine what is like to tell your 4-year old daughter that you're about to miss her birthday and Christmas. I won't lie and say I was hoping I'd go, but it would have been easier for me than him. The kicker is having only two weeks to prepare, most normal deployments have much more notice.
So, for a few hours, France was off, but now it is back on. I have two more mid shifts this week, then my checkride on Mon and Tues to be certified to work the desk. I am slowly getting more confident, so I think it should go well. Some parts of the job are familiar, but there is a lot more interaction with people and on-the-spot questioning than at the 26th. I think I like it, though. For now, it's home and sleep, then OSS football game tonight. I'm excited to watch my team play again (Jose and MSgt B are the coaches), but it is going to be a cold one at 8:30pm! Must remember a blanket...
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Catching Up
So... I actually have not fallen off the face of the Earth, though I realize it may have appeared that way. I still do not have internet at my house, and I was too busy at work this week to get to anywhere on base with wifi. I worked swing shifts (3-11pm), but was at work most mornings as well organizing things for the OSS change of command ceremony, which was yesterday afternoon. I was in charge of it with another Lt, and we were both running around like chickens with our heads cut off all week. I ran a few ceremonies while I was at Barksdale, but this one had so many more moving parts, so to speak... we had to work with so many different agencies and people to make it happen. Anyway, I am so glad it is over and I can't wait to get back to other parts of life, like unpacking and setting up my house.
Hmm, where to start my catching up? I keep saying I will tell you about the conference, so maybe I better cross that off the list. Of course, the location was the most obvious highlight, but there were so many other experiences that made it such an awesome week. Pretty much all of the big wigs in AF Weather were there, and hearing their first-hand perspectives on things that are going on within the career field and the AF was very cool. Also, they attended almost all of the evening social gatherings as well, and I had the opportunity to talk to most of them in small groups or one-on-one, which resulted in even more learning experiences. They had plenty of advice and stories to share (sometimes more than I wanted to hear, but I listened anyway). The funny part (to me) was that I didn't even try to seek out those conversations... it was like every time I turned around, there was a Col or Chief pulling me aside (sometimes handing me a drink), and wanting to talk about my career or some other issue. I mentioned this to MSgt B once, and he laughed and said "Well, you are an easy target... you know why, right?" I thought about it for a minute and said "I'm a Lt, I'm a girl, and I actually listen to them?" He laughed again and said that pretty much hit the nail on the head. So, I guess that makes sense. Out of the 80 conference attendees, I was one of 2 Lts and 8 females, so I suppose I stuck out a little bit. Anyway, I thought it was great, I have always liked to hear other people's stories and experiences, and I realize what a unique opportunity it was to talk to all of these people who have done so much in their careers.
I also got the chance to meet one-on-one with the Wx assignments officer, another unique opportunity. She just took the job this summer, so I had not interacted with her before. I was really impressed; she was extremely personable and honest in our conversation. She answered all of my questions about possibilities for my next assignment and beyond, and asked a lot of questions about what I wanted to do and why I wanted to do those things. I really enjoyed that meeting, and it makes me a lot less nervous about what will happen in a year and a half when the time rolls around to make decisions about the future.
It was also great to meet so many other people from wx flights around USAFE. The Spangdahlem flight had 3 members there: a female Capt Flt/CC, the only other Lt at the conference (a guy), and a flight chief from Australia who had an awesome accent plus he was absolutely hilarious. I got to catch up with two former 26 OWSers: our former CC who left a year ago and is now in charge of CENTCOM Wx, and a MSgt who left over a year ago for the Army support post in Heidelberg, Germany. I talked to one of the Sembach OWS Flt/CCs for a while one night, and that was really cool- it's funny how much of that job is the same no matter which hub you are at. It was fun to reminisce about the 26th and compare notes on our jobs. So... I think that pretty much sums up what I wanted to say about the conference. Garmisch and Neuschwanstein were amazing, but the whole experience was so much more.
On to Amy's wedding. It will probably not surprise you to hear that I LOVE weddings. They're so romantic. My favorite part is the look on the faces of the bride and groom as she walks down the aisle... she looks so excited to get down there, and he looks like he can't believe he is lucky enough for her to be walking towards him. (And I felt this way before "27 Dresses" used that idea, hehe.) Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. This wedding was also sort of a family reunion, as it had been almost 4 years since the whole extended family on my dad's side had been together. This includes my dad and his two sisters, who each are married with two girls. So, the "generation" I am a part of is 6 girls, which translated to many hours of playing with Barbies, stuffed animals, and other fun girl things whenever we were together. Sooo many of my childhood memories are from spending Christmas vacations at Grandpa's house with them. Now, 3 of the 6 have graduated from college, and the other 3 are in college. Amy is the first of the 6 to get married. When she walked down the aisle looking so gorgeous and grown up, I leaned over to Lisa and whispered, "We've all come a long way from playing Barbies, haven't we?" She agreed.
I have pictures to upload, but have not quite gotten around to that yet... will post when I do. If you're on Facebook, my cousin Melanie posted hers and tagged me in a few, so you can see them on my profile. I also have pics from the night I spent with Lisa at UVA. She gave me a walking tour of the campus at night, and as much as I have made fun of UVA in the past, they do have a pretty campus. The next morning, we had breakfast with one of her roommates at a bagel shop and then I went back to the house while they went to class. It was fun to be back on a college campus... I miss the days of going to class in gym shorts and a college T-shirt!
I better wrap this up, since I need to go get changed for a going-away dinner for a member of the weather flight. It's at an Italian restaurant in Newmarket, a town I have not explored yet, so I am excited to see a new area. I'm working the mid shift (11pm-7am) next week, which should leave me a lot more time to get things done around the house (maybe get internet?). My plan is to put a temporary hold on weekend sightseeing for this weekend and next weekend to spend some serious time getting the house set up. Right now, it is literally just boxes everywhere in the same places the movers put them 3 weeks ago. Plus, I will be motivated to finish the house so I can start traveling again!
Hmm, where to start my catching up? I keep saying I will tell you about the conference, so maybe I better cross that off the list. Of course, the location was the most obvious highlight, but there were so many other experiences that made it such an awesome week. Pretty much all of the big wigs in AF Weather were there, and hearing their first-hand perspectives on things that are going on within the career field and the AF was very cool. Also, they attended almost all of the evening social gatherings as well, and I had the opportunity to talk to most of them in small groups or one-on-one, which resulted in even more learning experiences. They had plenty of advice and stories to share (sometimes more than I wanted to hear, but I listened anyway). The funny part (to me) was that I didn't even try to seek out those conversations... it was like every time I turned around, there was a Col or Chief pulling me aside (sometimes handing me a drink), and wanting to talk about my career or some other issue. I mentioned this to MSgt B once, and he laughed and said "Well, you are an easy target... you know why, right?" I thought about it for a minute and said "I'm a Lt, I'm a girl, and I actually listen to them?" He laughed again and said that pretty much hit the nail on the head. So, I guess that makes sense. Out of the 80 conference attendees, I was one of 2 Lts and 8 females, so I suppose I stuck out a little bit. Anyway, I thought it was great, I have always liked to hear other people's stories and experiences, and I realize what a unique opportunity it was to talk to all of these people who have done so much in their careers.
I also got the chance to meet one-on-one with the Wx assignments officer, another unique opportunity. She just took the job this summer, so I had not interacted with her before. I was really impressed; she was extremely personable and honest in our conversation. She answered all of my questions about possibilities for my next assignment and beyond, and asked a lot of questions about what I wanted to do and why I wanted to do those things. I really enjoyed that meeting, and it makes me a lot less nervous about what will happen in a year and a half when the time rolls around to make decisions about the future.
It was also great to meet so many other people from wx flights around USAFE. The Spangdahlem flight had 3 members there: a female Capt Flt/CC, the only other Lt at the conference (a guy), and a flight chief from Australia who had an awesome accent plus he was absolutely hilarious. I got to catch up with two former 26 OWSers: our former CC who left a year ago and is now in charge of CENTCOM Wx, and a MSgt who left over a year ago for the Army support post in Heidelberg, Germany. I talked to one of the Sembach OWS Flt/CCs for a while one night, and that was really cool- it's funny how much of that job is the same no matter which hub you are at. It was fun to reminisce about the 26th and compare notes on our jobs. So... I think that pretty much sums up what I wanted to say about the conference. Garmisch and Neuschwanstein were amazing, but the whole experience was so much more.
On to Amy's wedding. It will probably not surprise you to hear that I LOVE weddings. They're so romantic. My favorite part is the look on the faces of the bride and groom as she walks down the aisle... she looks so excited to get down there, and he looks like he can't believe he is lucky enough for her to be walking towards him. (And I felt this way before "27 Dresses" used that idea, hehe.) Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. This wedding was also sort of a family reunion, as it had been almost 4 years since the whole extended family on my dad's side had been together. This includes my dad and his two sisters, who each are married with two girls. So, the "generation" I am a part of is 6 girls, which translated to many hours of playing with Barbies, stuffed animals, and other fun girl things whenever we were together. Sooo many of my childhood memories are from spending Christmas vacations at Grandpa's house with them. Now, 3 of the 6 have graduated from college, and the other 3 are in college. Amy is the first of the 6 to get married. When she walked down the aisle looking so gorgeous and grown up, I leaned over to Lisa and whispered, "We've all come a long way from playing Barbies, haven't we?" She agreed.
I have pictures to upload, but have not quite gotten around to that yet... will post when I do. If you're on Facebook, my cousin Melanie posted hers and tagged me in a few, so you can see them on my profile. I also have pics from the night I spent with Lisa at UVA. She gave me a walking tour of the campus at night, and as much as I have made fun of UVA in the past, they do have a pretty campus. The next morning, we had breakfast with one of her roommates at a bagel shop and then I went back to the house while they went to class. It was fun to be back on a college campus... I miss the days of going to class in gym shorts and a college T-shirt!
I better wrap this up, since I need to go get changed for a going-away dinner for a member of the weather flight. It's at an Italian restaurant in Newmarket, a town I have not explored yet, so I am excited to see a new area. I'm working the mid shift (11pm-7am) next week, which should leave me a lot more time to get things done around the house (maybe get internet?). My plan is to put a temporary hold on weekend sightseeing for this weekend and next weekend to spend some serious time getting the house set up. Right now, it is literally just boxes everywhere in the same places the movers put them 3 weeks ago. Plus, I will be motivated to finish the house so I can start traveling again!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Coming to America
Okay, so I'm already in America, but the song title is more fun. :) I flew home on Wednesday, drove up to UVA to see Lisa yesterday, stayed the night, and the parents are picking us up around noon today for our Ohio road trip to my cousin Amy's wedding... then driving home on Sunday, flying back to England on Monday.
I heard some good advice recently about honesty. Obviously, you all know me, so you probably agree that I am a pretty easygoing person who tries to avoid conflict. I don't like to say or do things that would offend other people. I like people and I like for people to be happy. But... am I keeping people happy at the cost of honesty? The answer, as much as I hate to admit it, is sometimes yes. So, why am I rambling about this self-analysis? Okay, here goes...
I have mixed feelings about being in the US. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely thrilled to be going to Amy's wedding, I couldn't be happier for her and Jon, and I can't wait to see all the extended family again. I loved hanging out with Lisa last night and I'm even looking forward to seven hours in the car with my family. Please don't doubt any of those things. But... when my plane broke through the clouds over Newark on Wednesday, and what was below me was so obviously not England... there was a part of me that didn't want the plane to land. There, I said it. Is that horribly unpatriotic and ungrateful for growing up in the most powerful and free nation in the world? I feel guilty for thinking it, I know that much. I mean, come on, I'm a member of the US military! How's that for irony?
Maybe I'm overanalyzing this. The truth is, I just feel like I left part of my heart in England. I don't know how to explain why I feel so connected to a place. And maybe that's why I'm afraid that saying what I did will offend someone... If I can't even explain why I feel that way, how can I expect anyone else to understand? All I know is that when I'm in England, everywhere I look I see possibilities, stories, mysteries, beauty, history, magic - and I LOVE that. I'm not ready to leave it behind yet. Will I ever be? Not sure, and in the end it won't be my decision to make anyway, so there's no reason to worry about it now.
Sorry, this blog was more like a peek inside my head than a story from my adventures, but I was going with the honesty thing. :) I really do plan on telling you more about the conference, as mentioned in the last blog... at some point!
I heard some good advice recently about honesty. Obviously, you all know me, so you probably agree that I am a pretty easygoing person who tries to avoid conflict. I don't like to say or do things that would offend other people. I like people and I like for people to be happy. But... am I keeping people happy at the cost of honesty? The answer, as much as I hate to admit it, is sometimes yes. So, why am I rambling about this self-analysis? Okay, here goes...
I have mixed feelings about being in the US. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely thrilled to be going to Amy's wedding, I couldn't be happier for her and Jon, and I can't wait to see all the extended family again. I loved hanging out with Lisa last night and I'm even looking forward to seven hours in the car with my family. Please don't doubt any of those things. But... when my plane broke through the clouds over Newark on Wednesday, and what was below me was so obviously not England... there was a part of me that didn't want the plane to land. There, I said it. Is that horribly unpatriotic and ungrateful for growing up in the most powerful and free nation in the world? I feel guilty for thinking it, I know that much. I mean, come on, I'm a member of the US military! How's that for irony?
Maybe I'm overanalyzing this. The truth is, I just feel like I left part of my heart in England. I don't know how to explain why I feel so connected to a place. And maybe that's why I'm afraid that saying what I did will offend someone... If I can't even explain why I feel that way, how can I expect anyone else to understand? All I know is that when I'm in England, everywhere I look I see possibilities, stories, mysteries, beauty, history, magic - and I LOVE that. I'm not ready to leave it behind yet. Will I ever be? Not sure, and in the end it won't be my decision to make anyway, so there's no reason to worry about it now.
Sorry, this blog was more like a peek inside my head than a story from my adventures, but I was going with the honesty thing. :) I really do plan on telling you more about the conference, as mentioned in the last blog... at some point!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Neuschwanstein
Yes, I was there. Have you ever woken up the morning after an incredible night and wondered if it had all just been a dream? That’s kind of how I feel about this entire last week. But on the other hand, I’m still in England, everything around me is still beautiful, and I still have so much left to see and do… is it possible to have a dream within a dream?
I suppose you could say I am feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment. That being said, I cannot promise you that this blog will flow in any sort of logical manner, as my brain is going in about a hundred directions at once. Maybe I should talk about Neuschwanstein, as that is one thing that does stand out fairly easily. We got out of the conference around noon on Friday, leaving an entire afternoon and evening open before leaving on Saturday morning. Thanks to a bug in their ears placed not so subtly by myself earlier in the week, our friends from the Mildenhall wx flight (who had rental cars and their families with them) decided to go to Neuschwanstein that afternoon, offering their extra seats to MSgt B and me.
The weather had been absolutely gorgeous the whole week we were there… until Friday. When I woke up that morning and opened my balcony door hoping to see the sunrise on the peaks that I had been enjoying every other morning, I couldn’t even see the mountains. Low cloud ceilings and fog had come in overnight with a vengeance. It was like the lodge was inside a cloud. My enthusiasm only slightly dimmed, I told myself that maybe it would clear out by the afternoon. Well, not so much. It was raining when we hopped in cars and left for the castle just after 1pm.
The drive took about an hour, and actually took us through Austria as a shortcut and then back into Germany, which I had not realized would happen. Having not prepared my already overworked brain for this additional experience, I just sort of stared out the window in shock as we drove through Austria past immense dark silhouettes of mountains disappearing into the pea soup of clouds and fog. I can only imagine how the scenery would have looked on a clear day. Perhaps the clouds were a good thing… if it had been any more beautiful, my head might have exploded.
The rain stopped and the fog had cleared slightly by the time we got close to the castle, but the clouds were still low and thick. Before I expected it, Capt R looked casually up through the windshield and said “Look, there it is.” I couldn’t see it at first because of the angle, but when he turned into the parking lot, I looked up the mountainside and there it was… blurry through the lingering mist and close to the cloud ceiling, but standing there like a physical version of all the pictures I’ve admired and had in my head for the last several years. My trance was broken when Capt R pulled into a parking space and a tree blocked my view, so I turned to look at MSgt B. He was already giving me a knowing smile and said “Yes, it’s really there.”
I jumped out of the car and quickly found a clear area to stand and take some pictures while the others were getting their kids out of the cars and into strollers. MSgt B came over and took my camera to get a couple shots of me with the castle in the background, but I had a hard time turning away from it. When the others were ready, we walked into the little town to the information center to buy our tickets. The winding, tree-lined road up to the castle is pretty steep, and is listed as a 40-minute walk, or you can pay to ride a bus or carriage. We all decided to walk, but the pace of the group with strollers and young kids quickly became a torturous snail’s pace for me. MSgt B took pity on me and we walked ahead, and though I tried to stick to a normal walking pace, we made it up the mountain in half the recommended time. (If you’re starting to think that I owe him big time, you are right, but remember that we are not even at the end of the day yet…)
There is an area just before you get to the castle with a few overlooks, gift shops, and food stands. We waited here for the others and I took pictures from the overlooks despite the view being degraded by clouds and fog. We actually ran into our friends from the Spangdahlem wx flight at this point… I had forgotten they had mentioned possibly going here as well, but it turned out they had tickets for the exact same tour time that we did. Once the Mildenhall families caught up, we all walked up to the castle and took pictures around the outside and front entrance area until it was time for the tour. The ones with strollers decided to stay outside to avoid the hundreds of stairs in the castle, but the rest of us followed the tour guide inside.
It bothers me that you are not allowed to take pictures inside the castle, because I can’t possibly describe everything we saw in there as it deserves, but I know I will not forget any of the rooms after rooms of paintings, woodwork, mosaic tiled floors, arched ceilings, and everything that looked straight out of a royal fairy tale. The tour only covered the main four floors of the castle, because much of the massive building is actually unfinished; Ludwig mysteriously drowned before construction was complete. I asked the tour guide if people are ever allowed up the towers, and she said there are special tours on Mondays and Thursdays that you can request to go up the second-highest tower. Good to know for next time.
The tour ends, not surprisingly, in a hallway with a gift shop. By the time I finished looking out all of the windows (we were still pretty high up) and picking out a painting of the castle for a wall in my house, we had lost the Spang crew. I called Capt R to see where the Mildenhall guys were, and he said they were walking around town with the kids and would probably find a place for dinner soon. Having been here before, he suggested we walk over to a bridge he knew of that had a great view of the castle, then meet them in town for dinner.
After a slight wrong turn that took us down a different trail, we found ourselves looking up (way up) at the bridge we were supposed to be on. Oops. Backtracking, we finally made it to the right spot… and it was worth the hike. This bridge was obviously the spot from which many photographers have captured the castle’s profile, because it was gorgeous even against the persisting gray clouds. The one downside of the view was that there was scaffolding covering the side of the castle facing the bridge, presumably for some kind of restoration work. But I wasn’t too upset, the whole view was still stunning. Without the clouds and fog, I can only imagine what a backdrop it would be, I bet you could see mountains as far as the human eye would allow. It was a difficult scene to tear myself away from, but I reminded myself that I owed it to my travel buddy and that it was probably past time to meet the others for dinner.
We actually made to down to the restaurant before they even ordered, so that worked out really well. After dinner, we walked back to the cars and I looked up for one last view of Neuschwanstein. It was dark by then, but the castle was lit up like a spotlight, and the contrast against the dark mountains was so beautiful it almost took my breath away. I was afraid it wouldn’t show up in a picture, but surprisingly enough, it did.
When we got back to the lodge, almost everyone from the conference was hanging out downstairs in the bar area for one last night before we all left in the morning. That was really fun, and I enjoyed the time with some old friends I knew back at Barksdale who had since moved on to USAFE assignments, plus the multitude of new friends I had met over the week. I hate to gloss over that part, and since I have already made this the longest blog in history, I think I better save it for tomorrow, because the people I met and experiences I had with them deserve more than a quick summary. They are a lot of the reason my brain is having trouble believing I will go back to work tomorrow and MSgt B and I will be the only ones there who know what an incredible week it was. I owe him a lot for sticking with me the whole time, and though he says he enjoyed everything we did too, I recognize that there were a few times he might have preferred hanging out with some of his old friends instead of a bouncing-off-the-walls Lt. So I am thankful to him for that, because he was an awesome travel buddy when he didn’t really have to be.
So, more to come about other aspects of the conference, and here are links to one photo album from the middle of the week http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=309610&id=701905001&l=f13b3b5d21 and one from the day at Neuschwanstein http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=311414&id=701905001&l=752aa4728c. If you actually finished reading to the end of this blog, thank you for sticking with me also! :)
Monday, September 7, 2009
Mountain View
Sunrise this morning in front of our lodge:
Yeah, I'm a happy girl. :) Link to more pics at the end.
Getting here yesterday was quite an adventure in itself. MSgt B and I used every form of transportation except a boat, I believe. We drove to the London airport, flew to a little town near Munich called Memmingen, took a taxi to the train station, rode the train to Garmisch, then took another taxi to the lodge. Add in getting separated in the airport, four train changes, a cabbie and a train conductor who did not speak English, and German federal police stopping us in the train station, and I would say we did very well to arrive at Edelweiss together and with all of our stuff. :) At least it was memorable, right?
We pretty much crashed after dinner thanks to our exhausting trip, then met for breakfast before the conference started this morning. I was early for meeting MSgt B in the lobby, and was drawn like a magnet outside to the sunrise. I think the most beautiful sunrise I have seen was from the top of a peak in Colorado Springs, but watching this one from the base of the Alps ranks pretty high up there. Views like this make me wish I was a better photographer. Of course, I had to pull MSgt B outside to see it when he came down, but he did not look quite as thrilled as I was to be awake for sunrise, hehe.
Today's conference agenda was listening to most of the big wigs in AF Wx talk, so we did a good deal of that, with lunch somewhere in the middle. This evening was the "ice breaker", which I enjoyed catching up with some old 26 OWSers and meeting a whole bunch more people. Tomorrow evening's activity is ultimate frisbee, which I forecast to be crazy with somewhere around 40 people on each team. Perhaps we will rotate in and out. Unfortunately, they have packed our schedule so full that it's not looking good for a Neuschwanstein visit, but I think I can handle it... just being here is a gift, and I will definitely be back. :)
Link to pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=307949&id=701905001&l=684e4f6a56
Getting here yesterday was quite an adventure in itself. MSgt B and I used every form of transportation except a boat, I believe. We drove to the London airport, flew to a little town near Munich called Memmingen, took a taxi to the train station, rode the train to Garmisch, then took another taxi to the lodge. Add in getting separated in the airport, four train changes, a cabbie and a train conductor who did not speak English, and German federal police stopping us in the train station, and I would say we did very well to arrive at Edelweiss together and with all of our stuff. :) At least it was memorable, right?
We pretty much crashed after dinner thanks to our exhausting trip, then met for breakfast before the conference started this morning. I was early for meeting MSgt B in the lobby, and was drawn like a magnet outside to the sunrise. I think the most beautiful sunrise I have seen was from the top of a peak in Colorado Springs, but watching this one from the base of the Alps ranks pretty high up there. Views like this make me wish I was a better photographer. Of course, I had to pull MSgt B outside to see it when he came down, but he did not look quite as thrilled as I was to be awake for sunrise, hehe.
Today's conference agenda was listening to most of the big wigs in AF Wx talk, so we did a good deal of that, with lunch somewhere in the middle. This evening was the "ice breaker", which I enjoyed catching up with some old 26 OWSers and meeting a whole bunch more people. Tomorrow evening's activity is ultimate frisbee, which I forecast to be crazy with somewhere around 40 people on each team. Perhaps we will rotate in and out. Unfortunately, they have packed our schedule so full that it's not looking good for a Neuschwanstein visit, but I think I can handle it... just being here is a gift, and I will definitely be back. :)
Link to pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=307949&id=701905001&l=684e4f6a56
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Let's Go State!!!
WE ARE PENN STATE!!!!! I am thrilled to be writing this while watching my Lions smash Akron on AFN in the base coffee shop. It's halftime and we're up 31-0... WOOHOO!!! I need to buy a TV so I can watch at home, but this works for now. So much to do at my house... need to arrange phone, TV, internet, buy more furniture, get some adapters and transformers for my appliances, and unpack the ridiculous number of boxes piled everywhere. However, I am not sure when this will all occur. I leave tomorrow for Germany(!!!), then I am back for 3 days before I leave for my cousin Amy's wedding in Ohio. Maybe I'll get my house set up by October.
I am so excited about Germany I'm not sure I will be able to sleep tonight. I think I have decided to take the laptop, since I will have internet access there. Plus, I can upload pics from my camera every day so I don't have to worry about running out of room on the memory card. :) Ooh, my game is back. Nuts, I think Akron just crossed the 50 for the first time in the game. Haha, we just stopped them at the 1... love it!!! I hope we can keep this a shutout. Okay, I will try to finish this without a running commentary on the game, but it will not be easy. ;-)
BAH, turnover!!! >:-/ Oops, sorry. I did say "try"... and they scored. Bummer. Oh well, we will still win. Back to the Germany trip... MSgt Bianchi and I are leaving at 8am for the London-Stansted airport (thank goodness it's way closer than Heathrow) to fly out at 12:20pm. This time tomorrow, I will be in Germany!!! Seriously can't believe I will actually be in the Alps. The fact I am being paid to go on this trip is somewhat surreal. Oh, that reminds me of something I forgot to mention in the last blog. I found out this past week that I will be spending the month of January at Hill AFB in Utah supporting our F-15s at Red Flag. For those unfamiliar with Hill's location, I will inform you that it is right next to Park City, one of the most famous ski areas in the US. I plan to take full advantage of that coincidence. :-D
I really need to pack. Hopefully it won't take long. We'll be in uniform during the day, so I just have to bring stuff to wear in the evenings, the computer, camera, phone, and all the appropriate charging devices. Aww, I miss Beaver Stadium. They just showed people painted blue and white. I think I'll try to make my packing list now that the 4th quarter has started. Talk to you next from Germany!!! :D
I am so excited about Germany I'm not sure I will be able to sleep tonight. I think I have decided to take the laptop, since I will have internet access there. Plus, I can upload pics from my camera every day so I don't have to worry about running out of room on the memory card. :) Ooh, my game is back. Nuts, I think Akron just crossed the 50 for the first time in the game. Haha, we just stopped them at the 1... love it!!! I hope we can keep this a shutout. Okay, I will try to finish this without a running commentary on the game, but it will not be easy. ;-)
BAH, turnover!!! >:-/ Oops, sorry. I did say "try"... and they scored. Bummer. Oh well, we will still win. Back to the Germany trip... MSgt Bianchi and I are leaving at 8am for the London-Stansted airport (thank goodness it's way closer than Heathrow) to fly out at 12:20pm. This time tomorrow, I will be in Germany!!! Seriously can't believe I will actually be in the Alps. The fact I am being paid to go on this trip is somewhat surreal. Oh, that reminds me of something I forgot to mention in the last blog. I found out this past week that I will be spending the month of January at Hill AFB in Utah supporting our F-15s at Red Flag. For those unfamiliar with Hill's location, I will inform you that it is right next to Park City, one of the most famous ski areas in the US. I plan to take full advantage of that coincidence. :-D
I really need to pack. Hopefully it won't take long. We'll be in uniform during the day, so I just have to bring stuff to wear in the evenings, the computer, camera, phone, and all the appropriate charging devices. Aww, I miss Beaver Stadium. They just showed people painted blue and white. I think I'll try to make my packing list now that the 4th quarter has started. Talk to you next from Germany!!! :D
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Busy busy busy
I apologize for the gap in blogging... I'll blame it mostly on not having internet in my house yet, and also because I have been running around like crazy with everything I have had to do this week. Sunday morning, I chickened out on going to the parish church in Downham Market, because when I went to check the sign for service times, I didn't even know what the names of their services meant. Must be more Catholic-based than I had thought. So I decided to try the local Methodist church. I was raised United Methodist, so it should be fairly familiar, right? Yes and no... service structure was normal, but I was the youngest person in the congregation by at least 30 years, probably more. Out of the 80-100 people in attendance, I was one of only a handful without white hair. Everyone I met was nice, but the cute little old lady greeter looked at me like she didn't know what to do with me when I walked in. I have nothing against older people, and I am happy that they have such a good-sized congregation, but I will continue looking for a church where I fit in a little better.
Sunday afternoon, Cassie (my friend from OCF) and I went to Ely to see the famous cathedral. I was not disappointed. The pure size of it is just staggering, and there is artistic detailing on almost every inch. The ceiling inside is painted with a line of pictures showing the story of the world from creation to Jesus's life and death. An Evensong service was beginning just after we entered, so unfortunately we could not explore the front part of the cathedral, but the sound of the organ and choir echoing through the cavernous building added to the ambiance. I took a short video of the central part of the church with the voices in the background (you may have to turn up your speakers): http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=279752065001 And here is the photo album of all my pictures from the cathedral: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=305530&id=701905001&l=53ff7c84b4
Monday was a training day for the OG since it was a UK bank holiday and flying was not allowed. OG/CC led the group on a 3.5 mile run around the flight line, at a rather brisk pace... only about 1/3 of the group finished with him, Jose and I were the only ones from the wx flight that kept up. (My legs were sore for two days afterwards...) The rest of the day was spent in various CC calls and training events. Tuesday, my household goods were delivered to my house! This included all my furniture and so many boxes I don't understand how this all came out of a 1-bedroom apartment. So, I bet you're wondering if the bed fit up the stairs. Drumroll, please... ... ... ... no. But I was pretty much expecting that, so I wasn't really upset. Plus, Cassie and I happened to be discussing furniture on Sunday, and when I told her about my fear of the bed not fitting, she said she was actually going to buy a queen bed and would take mine off my hands if it didn't fit. So that is good, I already have a place for it to go and can start bed-shopping for an "English queen" size, which is what the landlords had. Until then, I am sleeping on the twin mattress that will eventually go on the loft after I build it again.
The only casualty of the move that I have discovered so far is a crushed lampshade from my living room table lamp, but that should be easy enough to replace. I took "empty" pictures of the house on Friday night, and then "box explosion" pictures this morning after my second shipment arrived. Didn't take time to caption them, but they are fairly self-explanatory and can be found here if you are interested: http://community.webshots.com/album/574473672MBEwaX
Wednesday, I was the escort for six of the top-ranking people in Air Force Weather as they stopped to visit on their way to Germany for the conference next week. I went with a TSgt from the Mildenhall wx flight to pick them up at London Heathrow (thank goodness he was driving, London traffic terrifies me), and then brought them back to Mildenhall for a day of meet-and-greets with base leaders and dinner that night with a bunch of wx folks at a nice pub. They were a very interesting group... a retired Brig Gen now holding Senior Executive Service position (Brig Gen equivalent civilian), 3 Cols, and 2 Command Chiefs. I enjoyed hearing their behind-the-scenes discussions and jokes, and of course they had a ton of stories and experiences to share. I also got to meet the Mildenhall wing commander, a female Col who is a Brig Gen-select... cool! Dr. Lewis, the AF Director of Wx, coined me at the end of the day and bought me a drink at dinner, so I suppose everything went pretty well.
Tomorrow I am training on day shift in the wx station, OCF dinner and meeting, trip to somewhere cool on Saturday with Cassie (destination not finalized yet)... then Sunday I leave for Germany!!! I still don't believe it is so close. I don't think I will believe I am going until I get on the plane. Eeeek!
Sunday afternoon, Cassie (my friend from OCF) and I went to Ely to see the famous cathedral. I was not disappointed. The pure size of it is just staggering, and there is artistic detailing on almost every inch. The ceiling inside is painted with a line of pictures showing the story of the world from creation to Jesus's life and death. An Evensong service was beginning just after we entered, so unfortunately we could not explore the front part of the cathedral, but the sound of the organ and choir echoing through the cavernous building added to the ambiance. I took a short video of the central part of the church with the voices in the background (you may have to turn up your speakers): http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=279752065001 And here is the photo album of all my pictures from the cathedral: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=305530&id=701905001&l=53ff7c84b4
Monday was a training day for the OG since it was a UK bank holiday and flying was not allowed. OG/CC led the group on a 3.5 mile run around the flight line, at a rather brisk pace... only about 1/3 of the group finished with him, Jose and I were the only ones from the wx flight that kept up. (My legs were sore for two days afterwards...) The rest of the day was spent in various CC calls and training events. Tuesday, my household goods were delivered to my house! This included all my furniture and so many boxes I don't understand how this all came out of a 1-bedroom apartment. So, I bet you're wondering if the bed fit up the stairs. Drumroll, please... ... ... ... no. But I was pretty much expecting that, so I wasn't really upset. Plus, Cassie and I happened to be discussing furniture on Sunday, and when I told her about my fear of the bed not fitting, she said she was actually going to buy a queen bed and would take mine off my hands if it didn't fit. So that is good, I already have a place for it to go and can start bed-shopping for an "English queen" size, which is what the landlords had. Until then, I am sleeping on the twin mattress that will eventually go on the loft after I build it again.
The only casualty of the move that I have discovered so far is a crushed lampshade from my living room table lamp, but that should be easy enough to replace. I took "empty" pictures of the house on Friday night, and then "box explosion" pictures this morning after my second shipment arrived. Didn't take time to caption them, but they are fairly self-explanatory and can be found here if you are interested: http://community.webshots.com/album/574473672MBEwaX
Wednesday, I was the escort for six of the top-ranking people in Air Force Weather as they stopped to visit on their way to Germany for the conference next week. I went with a TSgt from the Mildenhall wx flight to pick them up at London Heathrow (thank goodness he was driving, London traffic terrifies me), and then brought them back to Mildenhall for a day of meet-and-greets with base leaders and dinner that night with a bunch of wx folks at a nice pub. They were a very interesting group... a retired Brig Gen now holding Senior Executive Service position (Brig Gen equivalent civilian), 3 Cols, and 2 Command Chiefs. I enjoyed hearing their behind-the-scenes discussions and jokes, and of course they had a ton of stories and experiences to share. I also got to meet the Mildenhall wing commander, a female Col who is a Brig Gen-select... cool! Dr. Lewis, the AF Director of Wx, coined me at the end of the day and bought me a drink at dinner, so I suppose everything went pretty well.
Tomorrow I am training on day shift in the wx station, OCF dinner and meeting, trip to somewhere cool on Saturday with Cassie (destination not finalized yet)... then Sunday I leave for Germany!!! I still don't believe it is so close. I don't think I will believe I am going until I get on the plane. Eeeek!
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